How About a Christmas field trip?

This is Emily June. Better duck, she's got a snowball and a good aim! Emily June is dressed for snow because she's off to Pennsylvania to the home of a friend. But before she goes, she wants to invite you on a field trip to one of my favorite places in Florida- St. Augustine. These photos are from the historic downtown area. Come along and see what this lovely city has to offer. 

 We'll start in this courtyard of shops at the north end of St. George Street, a pedestrian walkway lined with museums like the Oldest Schoolhouse, eateries, gelato stores and boutique shops. Oh, and lots of souvenir stores. Need another tee-shirt? Of course you do.

Through one of the gift shops, and into the back courtyard below, you can see the area walled in by masonry walls made of stone and shell. There are many of these textural and interesting cocina shell walls in the area. The courtyard is a perfect place to wander and enjoy the windchimes, glass pieces, and bird feeders. So peaceful.

At the south end of St. George Street, and on Cordova Street right near Flagler College is the beautiful Casa Monica Hotel. Look beyond the tree, through the archway, to see some of the beautiful details on the beams of the Moorish achitecture. You can see some historic images of the hotel on their website. The hotel was first opened in the late 1800s.

 There is a good deal of artwork on display in the lobby area. And the architectural details demand a fair share of attention, too. Just look at the tile work!

As you stroll around town, side strees like this one are very inviting. They also offer qauint shops, and a glimpse of old homes and buildings. If you are traveling to Florida, try to include this city in your itinierary. But we're not done... there is much more to see in St. Augustine. I'll show you some of them in the next post.